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You need some extra money, but need to stay home with your young children. You see an ad on TV saying you can make the money you need at your computer without having to do much work or have any special skills. You're tempted, but are those ads legitimate, or too good to be true?

I hate to tell you this, but most of
them are. The companies who write those ads count on people either
being out of work and desperate to find something or needing extra
income but not being able to go out and get it. Moms who stay home
with their children while their husbands work are especially targeted
because the companies who create these 'jobs' know that few people
are able to make it on only one income nowadays, but it's not always
feasible for families with young children to have both parents out
working. The idea of making an income from home is very enticing, but
there are some things to look out for if you're considering such a
position.

If they ask for money up front, beware.
A legitimate company will NEVER make you pay to work for them. Even
if you have to get some sort of license to do the job (for instance,
insurance sales), most companies will either pay for it outright or
reimburse you for what you paid. You should never have to pay for
training materials, leads, etc.

On a related note, a legitimate
employer will not ask you to 'wire funds' or transfer money using
your personal bank accounts. The only reason a legitimate employer
will ask for your personal banking information is to know where to
deposit your paychecks.

Check out the company on the internet.
A quick Google search of the company's name should bring up at least
some basic links you can read on your own to decide if you want to
proceed. For more pointed results, search for the company's name with
'fraud' or 'scam' attached and see what comes up. Snopes.com, a
popular 'urban legends' website, features many stories like that.
Their 'Fraud and Scams' section linked below has some helpful
information. Searching on a discussion forum such as Scams.com may
also be helpful in terms of reading other peoples' experiences. Such
sites can be a lot to wade through, though; one
'scam-disguised-as-a-job' company I was taken in by had 40 pages of
discussion about it! Either way, it's worth the time to do the
search.

The Better Business Bureau and the
Federal Trade Commission can tell you if any complaints have been
lodged against a company. One thing to consider, though, is that scam
companies sometimes change their names to avoid being 'exposed'.
Also, while legitimate job search websites such as Monster and
CareerBuilder don't knowingly feature listings from scammers, things
sometimes fall through the cracks.

Hopefully I've been able to save you
the headache and financial problems a fraudulent work-at-home job can
cause. Above all, trust your gut. If it sounds too good to be true,
it usually is.

For more information and helpful tips,
here are some websites you should visit: